Systemic toxicity of drugs is one of the most serious problems of cancer chemotherapy and frequently is dose limiting. Such is true of the azonafides, which are a series of anthracene-based DNA intercalcators that inhibit tumor growth at low concentrations and are not typically affected by multidrug resistance phenomena. Don et al., Anticancer Drugs, 12(3), 213-20 (2001).
There exists a continuing need in the art for improved azonafide-based compounds with reduced toxicity. The present invention provides such compounds and methods for the use and preparation thereof. These and other objects of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.